Army working towards women empowerment in J-K

Jammu, Feb 26: Besides fighting insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir, Army has taken up various schemes to help empower women in the far-flung areas of the state.

"True to its commitment, the Army has been providing a helping hand for women empowerment in Jammu and Kashmir," Jammu-based defence spokesman Lt Col Manish Mehta said here today.

He said in the insurgency-affected districts of Ramban, Doda and Kishtwar, the Army has been working towards the goal of providing the right impetus to the women for achieving self sustenance.

"This has been achieved by organising a number of activities for all age groups," he said. He said young girls of Doda are being provided education at their doorstep by the "Delta Force" by organising computer coaching classes in collaboration with 'Face Computer Institute'.

"Around 30 girls were trained in such classes. Such initiatives help in generating employment opportunities to the girls from socially and economically backward society," Mehta said.

He said to provide better employment opportunities to the women in Banihal area, the Army has opened up a "Floating Stitching Centre".

"The Centre will be periodically floating at an interval of four to five months in remote villages. It will benefit maximum ladies and girls as it will be a self-help stitching centre where girls and women can avail the facility and produce finished stitched materials at any point of time," he said.

He said the Army has also been training women of the area by running vocational courses in various employment generation activities.

"We held a month-long course in food and processing in remote Chinta village in Doda, in which 30 Women from economically backward strata of society were trained on nuances of food processing training," he said.